Quilting-frame for sewing-machines



(No Model.)

J. E. GIBBS. QUILTING'FRAME FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 454,520. Patented June 23,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES EDXVIN GIBBS, OF JONESBOROUGI'I, TENNESSEE.

QUILTING-FRAME FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 454,520, dated June 23,1891.

Application filed March 2 3, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES E. GIBBS, a citizen of the United States,residing at J onesborough, in the county of Washington and State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inQuilting-Frames; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to quilting-frames, especially to that classadapted to be attached to a sewing-machine and to facilitate the artofmaking machine-stitched quilts.

The invention will be hereinafter described, and particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved frame as appliedto a sewing-machine table; Fig. 2, a front elevation of a gage-plate foraccommodating the machine to quilts of diiferent thickness; Fig. 3, asection through said gage-plate and the bar to which it is adj ustablyattached, and Fig. 4., a face View of a ratchet for retaining thestoring roller in any position with relation to sides of the frame.

Reference being had to the drawings and the letters thereon, A Brepresent tracks laid upon and crossing at right angles a sewingmachinetable, each track being made in two sections abutting at the center ofsaid table and secured beneath it by metallic clips, as shown in Fig. 1.Both tracks extend a suitable distance on either side of the table andtheir weight is partly sustained by folding props or supports 0,notched, as at a, in their upper ends to receive pintles b, projectingfrom the extremities of said tracks, the upper ends of supports 0 beingtied to prevent them spreading when in use. Track A presents a perfectlyplain tread or u ppersurface 0, while B is provided at its inner edgewith a raised metallic rail (I, intended for a grooved wheel.

Metallic spring-clips D, with serrated upturned ends, (not shown,)engaging the under side of the table, are secured to each section oftracks A B by screws entering the under side of the tracks and servingto embed the teeth at the opposite end of said clips in the table. Uponthis structure is located the Serial No. 386,098. (No model.)

quilting-frame consisting in metallic sides E of fiat springsteelconnected by ties or stayrods F (l, and mounted upon wheels e f, securedto the sides in such position that they engage tracks A B, upon whichthe frame is thus permitted to reciprocate. lVheels f differ from thosemarked 6 only in the fact that they are grooved so as to engage theraised track rail cl.

Metallic sides of the frame E are provided with two integral projectionsH I, each ex tending upward at an angle in opposite directions andprovided with the several notches 9, similar to those in the outer endsof said sides E. In these notches g are rollers J K L, which are alittle shorter than the width between the sides E, and are journaled onpintles protruding from their ends, to the extremity of which latter arerigidly afiixed ratchet-wheels 2', one tooth of each of said wheelsengaging pins or studs j on springframe E for the purpose of locking therollers in any desired position with relation to said frame. Stay-rods FG are alike, except that G is provided with a vertically-adjustablemetallic gage-plate M, secured to the rod by screws 70, passing throughelongated slots Z, as shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of my improved quilter is as follows: Material intended toconstitute the cover of a quilt is wound upon roller 70, and that forthe lining upon roller J The free ends of both are then passed under thegageplate M, the latter being adjusted to a pre determined height in themanner before described. Cotton-batting or analogous material is nowinserted between cover and lining of the quilt from in front of theframe, and the stitching proceeds as in ordinary sewing. The materialbeing held down by the gageplate M upon the faceplate of the machine,the feed serves to advance the material to the needle in the usualmanner, taking with it the frame rolling freely on tracks A B as itadvances until the row of stitches is complete. The operator thenreleases all three ratchet-wheels from contact with pins 7' bycompressing sides E with relation to each other, rolls the stitched endof the quilt upon roller L, and the operation is repeated until theopposite end is reached, when the quilt is turned and similar rows ofstitches run throughout its length at right angles or any the latterbeing provided with ratchet-Wheels other angle to the first. engagingthe studs on the frame. 10 Having thus fully described my invention, Intestimony whereof I affix my signaturein what I claim is- 7 presence oftwo witnesses. 5 In a quilting-frame, the combination of me- JAMESEDVVIN- GIBBS.

tallic spring sides, one of which is provided Vitnesses: withlaterally-projecting studs on its outer ALVAH KEEN,

surface and joined by brace-rods and rollers, HENRY SMITH.

